In this post...we start the process of healing with practical tips. I say "healing", because my practice, this entire topic has caused my clients so much heartache, hopelessness & shame that it is my deepest desire to see healing and JOY come back around the topic of nourishing ourselves. 

The Key to Breaking Emotional Eating
When you feel the urge to eat but aren’t physically hungry, pause and ask:

“What do I actually need right now?”

And then, choose one of the following options to re-direct your thoughts and increase dopamine without turning back to food. Food can be pleasureful, and should be, but we do know that over time, it will be far more serving to our overall health by having non-food ways to bring in that safety, that calm and to increase dopamine. I pray this helps you as it has me! 

Non-Food Rewards: Healthy Ways to Boost Dopamine (Without Using Food)
When stress, boredom, or overwhelm hits, many people instinctively reach for food. That’s because certain foods, especially sugar, fat, and salt, create a quick dopamine spike in the brain. Read Post 2 to find out why!  Dopamine is the brain’s reward and motivation chemical. The good news? Food is not the only way to activate it. When you intentionally build non-food rewards into your day, you begin retraining your brain to seek comfort, satisfaction, and pleasure in healthier ways.

Here are simple ways to naturally boost dopamine and feel better without always running to the pantry or the fridge...or grabbing those baked goods left on the counter! 

🏃‍♀️ 1. Move Your Body
Movement is one of the fastest ways to improve mood and boost dopamine.
Even a short burst of activity signals the brain that something positive is happening.
Try:

• A 10–15 minute walk
• Stretching between tasks
• A short workout
• Dancing to a favorite song
• Cleaning or organizing a space

Movement also releases endorphins and serotonin, which further help reduce emotional eating urges.

🌞 2. Get Morning Sunlight
Natural light helps regulate the brain’s dopamine system and circadian rhythm.
Just 5–15 minutes of morning light can:

• Improve mood
• Increase energy
• Reduce cravings later in the day
• Support better sleep

Try:

• Drinking coffee outside
• Walking the dog
• Sitting on the porch
• Opening blinds and letting sunlight in

🎧 3. Music & Creativity
Music and creative activities stimulate dopamine and provide emotional release.
Creative expression also helps process feelings that might otherwise lead to emotional eating.
Try:

• Listening to uplifting or praise music
• Journaling thoughts or gratitude
• Coloring or drawing
• Playing an instrument
• Singing along to favorite songs

Even 5 minutes can shift your mood.

✔️ 4. Small Wins & Checking Off Tasks (THIS IS MY FAV!!) 
Your brain loves progress.
Every time you complete a task, no matter how small, dopamine is released.
That’s why crossing something off a list feels so satisfying.
Try:

• Creating a short daily to-do list 
• Completing simple chores-fold clothes, unload dishes, load dishes, clean kitchen, tidy a room
• Organizing one drawer or space
• Finishing a small project

Celebrate the “check, done!” moments.
Small wins build motivation and momentum.

🧘 5. Calm Your Nervous System
Stress often triggers emotional eating. Calming the nervous system can stop cravings before they start.
Practices that promote relaxation also help regulate dopamine.
Try:

• Meditation or quiet reflection
• Deep breathing exercises
• Prayer or mindfulness
• Placing a hand over your heart and taking slow breaths-saying "I AM SAFE" (love this one too!)

You can enhance relaxation with essential oils such as:

• Stress Away
• Joy
• Valor

Apply to wrists or neck, or use in a diffuser while you breathe slowly and reset.

🧊 6. Cold Water Reset
Cold exposure can stimulate dopamine and improve alertness.
It also activates the nervous system in a way that can break a stress or craving cycle.
Try:

• Splashing cool water on your face
• Ending a shower with cool water
• Holding an ice cube briefly in your hand or in your mouth 

Follow it with a small self-care ritual like applying a favorite serum, lotion, or essential oil.
This turns it into a mini reward moment.

❤️ 7. Positive Social Connection
Humans are wired for connection. Positive interaction releases dopamine and oxytocin, the “feel good” bonding hormone.
Connection often satisfies the emotional need people try to fill with food.
Try:

• Calling a friend
• Sending an encouraging text-pour out, it will fill your cup again! 
• Sharing a compliment
• Praying for someone or checking in on them
• Offering encouragement

Giving support often boosts your own mood as much as receiving it.


The more you practice these alternatives, the more your brain learns that relief and reward don’t have to come from food.


Again, a quick snapshot...
When cravings hit but you’re not truly hungry, try one of these quick non-food rewards to reset your brain and mood.
🏃‍♀️ Move your body: Take a quick walk, stretch, do a few squats, or dance to a song.
🌞 Get sunlight: Step outside for 5–10 minutes or sit by a bright window.
🎧 Turn on music or create: Listen to uplifting music, journal, color, or do something creative.
✔️ Check something off your list: Complete a small task or chore for a quick “win.”
🧘 Calm your nervous system: Deep breathing, prayer, meditation, or quiet reflection. Essential oils can help create a calming moment.
🧊 Cold water reset: Splash cool water on your face or end a shower with cool water.
❤️ Reach out to someone: Call, text, or encourage a friend. Positive connection boosts mood.
✨ Small self-care moment: Apply a favorite lotion, skincare product, or essential oil and take a few slow breaths.

Reminder:
Not every craving means you need food. Sometimes your brain simply needs movement, connection, sunlight, or calm.

If this has helped you, please send to a friend. It is my goal to help others heal this area of their lives. 
With Love and Strength, Missy 

So what does a holistic approach to health look like? It means having a variety of tools to support you day to day, as well as during life’s inevitable challenges. It means slowing down and tuning in to what your body is communicating. Our bodies are designed with an innate ability to function and heal, and we can support that with simple, consistent habits. At the same time, our mental, physical, and emotional health are deeply intertwined, when we care for one, it naturally impacts the others.

Support for recovering from any illness should focus on energy restoration, immune support, and nervous system healing. Holistic therapies should support, not replace, medical care.
​
1. Prioritize Deep Rest 

• Aim for 8–10+ hours of sleep
• Add naps as needed
• Avoid intense or contact activity (spleen risk)

2. Essential Oils for Support
Immune & Recovery Support

• Thieves– immune support
• Lemon– uplifting, detox support
• Frankincense– anti-inflammatory, calming
• Oregano– powerful immune-support oil (use diluted with coconut oil) 
• Raindrop Kit–​powerful kit to use in order on the spine. 

Energy & Mood

• Peppermint– fatigue, mental clarity
• Orange or citrus oils– mood boosting
• Eucalyptus– respiratory support

How to Use

• Diffuse 2–3x daily
• Apply diluted to neck, chest, wrists, feet
• Add to baths-place 2-3 tops of oils IN Epsom salt and then place in bath. Do not place directly in water, must place in salt first. 

3. Red Light Therapy
Supports cellular repair, inflammation reduction, and energy production.

• 10–20 minutes daily
• Targets chest, neck (lymph), abdomen (liver/spleen)
• Here we are using the Megelin Red Light blanket. 

4. Key Supplements
Immune Support

• Vitamin C (1,000–2,000 mg/day)
• Vitamin D3
• Zinc (15–30 mg/day)
• L-Lysine
• Inner Defense (essential oil-based supplement for immune support)

Energy & Recovery

• B-complex vitamins
• Magnesium  (sleep + recovery)
• CoQ10 (cellular energy)
• Creatine​ – may support energy production, muscle preservation, and recovery during prolonged fatigue

Always consult a healthcare provider and make sure to list all supplements taken. 

5. Nutrition for Healing-sore throat focus
Focus on:

• High protein (immune support + tissue repair)
• Fruits & vegetables (antioxidants)
• Hydration + electrolytes

Protein (for recovery + immune support)

• Broth-based soups (chicken, vegetable, bone broth)
• Shredded chicken or turkey, soft fish (salmon, tuna)
• Eggs
• Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• Protein shakes (especially if appetite is low). Smoothies (fruit + protein + yogurt or milk-dairy or nondairy)

Immune-Supporting Foods
Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants:

• Berries (strawberries, blueberries)
• Kiwi
• Spinach
• Bell peppers

Anti-Inflammatory & Nutrient-Dense Foods

• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Nuts & nut butters (if tolerated)
• Fatty fish (salmon)

Gentle Carbs for Energy

• Oatmeal, Cream of Rice/Wheat, Grits 
• Soft breads 
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Pasta
• Bananas, applesauce etc 

Foods to Limit / Avoid

• Alcohol (very important due to liver stress)
• Highly processed or greasy foods
• Excess sugar (can worsen inflammation)
• Very acidic or spicy foods if throat is sore

Important: Avoid Undereating
During mono, appetite is often low, but not eating enough can slow recovery and worsen fatigue.
Easy Ways to Increase Calories 
Focus on soft, easy-to-eat, nutrient-dense foods:

• Smoothies (protein powder, fruit, nut butter, milk)
• Greek yogurt bowls
• Oatmeal with protein powder or peanut butter
• Mashed potatoes with butter or olive oil
• Scrambled eggs
• Cottage cheese
• Soups and broths with added protein
• Protein shakes

Tip: Add calories without volume by including:

• Nut butters
• Olive oil, butter, coconut oil etc 
• Full-fat dairy (if tolerated)

Be Mindful of: 

• Added sugar-this could slow healing 
• Highly processed foods-choose whole foods when able 

6. Hydration + Electrolytes

• Aim for 80–120+ oz fluids/day

Options:

• Water
• Electrolyte drinks 
• Herbal teas 
• Coconut water

7. Nervous System Support

• Deep breathing (5 min daily)
• Prayer & meditation
• Gentle stretching
• Time outside

Helps shift the body into a healing state. 

8. Gentle Therapies
As energy improves:

• Short walks
• Sunlight exposure
• Warm baths (Epsom salt + oils)
• Light lymphatic massages. See video here. 

Avoid pushing intensity too soon.

Simple Daily Routine
Morning

• Hydrate and eat a breakfast, prioritize soft foods and protein 
• Vitamin C, D, zinc
• Sunlight 10 + minutes + light movement 
• Red Light Therapy 15-30 minutes 
• Diffuse citrus/peppermint oils

Midday

• Nourishing meal #2 
• Light movement if able
• Red light therapy #2 
• Rest/nap while diffusing Thieves + Lavender 

Evening

• Nourishing meal Meal #3 
• Magnesium supplement 
• Warm bath/shower + oils in Epsom salt 
• Deep breathing, relaxation Lymphatic massage
• Prayer, light music etc 

Reminders: 
Recovery from illness requires rest, nourishment, and gentle support, not pushing harder.
Focus on:

• Adequate calories
• Immune support
• Nervous system regulation
• Gradual return to activity

* While I am a Registered Dietitian and provide individualized nutrition guidance to my clients, the information shared here is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Anyone reading this should consult with their physician or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to their diet, supplementation, or health routine.

With LOVE & STRENGTH, Missy 
 

Two weeks ago, I shared the first in this Emotional Eating Series, "What are You Searching for, is it PEACE or FOOD?"  You can access that first post here sharing the very first place we need to start to unravel this! Please go there first! 
****It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s a nervous system looking for regulation in the fastest way it knows how.****
Then, in Post 2 in this series, I covered the all-time question...WHY do we crave certain types of foods...If you emotionally eat-which is often the very reason we overeat, it’s probably not broccoli you reach for...
It’s something sweet. Or something salty. Or something creamy. Or all three combined. There’s a reason. Read the WHY here in Post 2. 

Now for the TOOLS...here in POST 3.  

How to Stop Emotional & Overeating (Without More Restriction)
Most people try to fix overeating by tightening control. That usually backfires. Here’s what actually works.
One of my best tips if you find yourself in this position after eating and going back for more when you know you are not still hungry but actually searching for peace, is to pause and say, "I am SAFE." Try it. 

1. Eat Enough Earlier

• Prioritize protein by starting day with a high protein breakfast. 
• Balanced meals of carbs, fiber, protein and fat during the day.
• Eat every 3–4 hours.
• Underfueling guarantees night cravings.

2. Build a Pause Practice
First, when the craving or desire to eat when not hungry pops up: 

• Drink water, add an electrolyte power like JUNP or ULTIMA
• Before grabbing more food: Say, "that was yummy, I'm satisfied, I will enjoy more later/tomorrow etc., I'm done." before you get up from the table. Signal the brain that eating is complete.
• Wait 10 minutes. Often intensity drops. Building this window of tolerance helps to build new neural pathways to begin habit change.

3. Close the Kitchen, Move on to another task

• Clean up directly after dinner. Or after any meal or even between meals create activities outside of the kitchen. 
• Move on to another task. Often our brains do not like transitions so we have to build these in and create safety around moving on to another duty. 
• Brush teeth.
• Turn off lights.
• Enjoy Herbal tea as a signal that it is time to wind down. 

4. Regulate Without Food 
(see more on NON FOOD REWARDS in Post 4 and our newsletter next week) 
Try:

• 5-minute walk, sunshine is helpful 
• Box breathing, breath prayers 
• Shower
• Journaling
• Calling someone

5. Allow Planned Dessert

• Structure beats restriction. Plate it, sit down, enjoy. Go back to step 2 and 3 if needed. 
• Two squares of chocolate intentionally eaten is far better than mindless grazing.
• Overeating thrives in chaos. If cutting out everything you love is creating more chaos, then strategically enjoying what you have deemed "bad" may be the best tool you can use vs overeating on everything around the brownies only to end up at the brownies...I get it! I have learned! And chances are, you may decide you really don't even want some of those foods because you have now made it ok to have! 

With LOVE & STRENGTH, Missy 

If you emotionally eat, it’s probably not broccoli.
It’s something sweet.
Or something salty.
Or something creamy.
Or all three combined.
There’s a reason.
Your brain is wired for survival...
Highly palatable foods activate the brain’s reward system and release dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and reinforcement, especially during times of stress.


Stress Biology & Emotional EatingChronic stress:

• Elevates cortisol.
• Increases insulin.
• Promotes abdominal fat storage.
• Increases appetite for high-energy foods.

The brain under stress prioritizes survival and calorie-dense foods historically meant safety. 

Let’s look at each type of food that we are typically pulled towards in times of stress...sugar, fat and salt to truly understand why...and then we can learn just how to make it work for us, not against us! .

Sugar

• Rapidly increases blood glucose.
• Triggers insulin release.
• It creates a quick dopamine spike and temporary mood lift.
• Increases serotonin temporarily (mood lift).
• Activates opioid receptors (comfort response).

It provides fast relief from:

• Stress
• Sadness
• Fatigue
• Mental overload

The problem?
The spike is short-lived.
Dopamine drops.
Cravings return.
Your brain learns: Uncomfortable feeling → sugar → relief...and there we have the loop created.
So the desire to have something sweet, can actually be biological. Is the desire to have something sweet after dinner a bad thing? NO. You can...you just need to go in with a plan! More on this in the next post in this series. 

Fat

• Fat is calorie-dense. In survival terms, that’s valuable.
• It slows digestion and increases pleasure signaling.
• It creates a longer-lasting comfort effect.

Fat + sugar together (think cookies, ice cream, pastries) create a superstimulus effect — higher dopamine than either alone.

Salt

• Salt enhances flavor and increases palatability.
• It can amplify the reward response in the brain.
• Stimulates appetite.
• Can temporarily reduce stress via adrenal interactions with electrolyte imbalance.

When stressed or sleep deprived, salt cravings often increase. That’s why chips are hard to stop eating.
In an effort to not skip ahead, regarding electrolytes, we will cover this more but if you are not already using electrolytes to your advantage, using them when you do feel varying cravings come on...you should! 
I am linking my favorite ideas here:
1. Ningxia Red in afternoon + 1 scoop of Aminowise in 10-12 ounces of water would be awesome! Add in Ningxia Nitro for en extra energy boost. 
2. Ultima or Junp 

The Combination
Sugar + fat + salt is highly reinforcing.
These foods are engineered to override fullness signals.
As discussed in "The End of Overeating" by David A. Kessler, highly palatable foods can condition the brain to seek repeat exposure.
Your brain isn’t broken.
It’s doing what it is meant to do. Keep you safe, help you survive! 
The goal is awareness, not shame as Dr. Carl Jung said, "shame is a soul eating emotion.” We can learn from this. 

So as you understand this more, I want you to remember...You don’t crave sugar because you’re weak. You crave it because it works.

• Does that mean it serves you? It may not...but at certain times, it MAY.
• Does that mean the overabundance may cause more harm than good? Yes.
• Does that mean we can't commit to learning more and getting real curious about what our body also needs in order to gain more clarity on when/why we are being pulled towards these pleasureful foods? 

Yes!

Next, we will cover more on How to Stop Emotional Eating and How to Use Non-food rewards! 
Be encouraged! 

With Love & Strength, 
​Missy